PrinceAhanonu

Thanks Mitchel, great tips, and the 250 GTO comparison made my day. Since the 2+2's extra length is in the doors, I'm thinking of using the shorter two-seater door and moving the rear wheel wells forward to take up that space. The car stays the same length. Does that sound doable from a chassis standpoint? I'll also take your advice on the radiators and fuel cell up front, water-to-air intercoolers, the front air dam and ducktail, and the cage. I'll check out Haltech too.

Thanks for the honest feedback, everyone. rturbo, flatout, I hear you on the weight bias. flatout, your packaging math is exactly what I needed. I'm planning to move the rear axle line forward with a shorter 2-seater door so the transaxle outputs line up and the halfshaft angles stay under 15°. That should pull more of the VR30 inside the wheelbase. I know it'll still be tail-heavy, so I'm planning a reinforced rear subframe, a cage, and coilovers tuned for it. On budget and experience, I'm going in eyes open and doing as much of the work myself as I can. Still hoping a 2+2 owner can share the hub-to-bumper measurement so I can firm up the numbers.

Hey all, I'm mainly looking for 280Z 2+2 owners. Could someone measure from the rear hub center straight back to the rear body panel, and to the back of the bumper? I'm checking whether a rear-engine VR30 swap will fit, and I can't find this number anywhere. Please include your car's year and whether it's a US car. Thanks! Chibuike

Thanks, both of you, I appreciate the honest pushback. I know a rear-engine layout isn't the "optimal" choice on paper, and I've looked at front-engine and mid-engine versions of this car. I chose rear-engine on purpose because I want the car to feel 911-like: lots of traction out of corners and under braking, with the character that comes with that. A mid-engine layout would also eat the 2+2's rear seats, which is part of why I bought a 2+2. To keep the weight bias under control, the plan is to mount the VR30 as low as possible on a dry sump, push it as far forward as the transaxle allows, and put the radiators, battery and fuel cell up front. I'm also expecting to need wider rear tires and a suspension setup that's tuned for it. If anyone has real corner-weight numbers from rear-engine swaps, or tips on suspension geometry for a tail-heavy car, I'd love to hear them. And if I'm missing a showstopper, please tell me now before I start cutting.

Hey all. I'm planning a pretty out-there build and want input from people who've cut up Zs before I start. The car: a 1975-78 280Z 2+2 (GS30, 2605 mm wheelbase), orange. Budget-minded: about $4k for the car and about $3k for the gearbox. The plan: a 911-style rear-engine layout. - Nissan VR30DDTT twin-turbo V6 mounted fully behind the rear axle on a dry sump, aiming for about 600 hp - Porsche 997 Turbo G97/50 6-speed transaxle converted to 2WD (a 996 G96/00 is the budget fallback), with 930/996 Turbo CV axles - A bolt-in cradle so the engine and gearbox drop out the bottom, plus a louvered top service lid - 288 GTO-style slotted quarter-window vents feeding the turbos - LED headlights in the stock buckets, flares, black wheels I've done 3D layout renders (attached). Questions: 1. Adapter: has anyone made or bought a VR30 to Porsche G50/G97 bellhousing adapter? Who would you go to? 2. Weight bias and handling: with that much weight behind the axle, where would you start on rear suspension geometry and spring rates for a street car? 3. Chassis: how would you strengthen the unibody and design the rear subframe/cradle so the rear doesn't twist? 4. Cooling: front radiators with long lines, or side/rear radiators? What has worked for you? 5. Wiring/ECU: what standalone ECU would you run on a VR30 (Haltech, Link, MoTeC, other)? 6. Precedent: has anyone actually done a rear-engine Z? Build threads would help a lot. Any "don't do it, here's why" feedback is welcome too. Thanks!